Micro manage or just the little things?

It seems more and more that the little things matter?  Is it the older you become the more important they seem or is it that you are just getting older?  There is a generation difference between ideas!  Some may call it micro managing others will call it paying attention to the little things.  Can these ideas be similar?

Micro managing is making sure that others are taking care of what you feel is impotant and how it is being taken care of. Paying attention to the little things can be HUGE!  Writing thank you notes, brush strokes of a painting, fine dining placement of utensils and many other little details?  Remembering someone's birthday can be life changing. Remembering a conversation that took place months ago that  the communicator was passionate about the topic. 

Everyday, there are influencers and attention grabbers. SQUIRREL!  Focus, bring to attention your mind for detail service.  Apply yourself to what you do.  A good carpenter pays attention to the details. In your line of work how are you graded to the detail work?  Pour yourself into what matters.  Is it quantity, or quality?  Micro manage your time to control the details.  He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. (Luke 16:10 AMP)

Sometimes you get consequences from your surroundings

Have you ever felt like you didn't deserve what you received?  As a Christian, we always feel like we don't deserve God's grace and mercy!  What about when you are just talking with a friend and you are now guilty by association?  Have you thought of Job?  Job was tried for his righteousness!  He was tested by his wife and friends.  His friends believed he reaped what he sowed.  

Another time when we see that a person reaped what he did sew was King David.  What happened is he lusted after a beautiful woman and got her pregnant.  God sent Nathan to King David to tell him that the baby will surely die.  King David fasted, prayed and laid prostrate before God.  Did that child deserve what he reaped?  Did King David get what he deserved?

There are times that you are in the middle of something that God did not call you to be!  When a person is arrested for a crime, sometimes there might be accomplises?  People who assist the criminal in doing the illegal act are called accomplises.  Then there are times that people are named as the criminal but was not an accomplises or even the one who performed the act all because of association. 

Make sure you are on purpose.  Make sure those around you help lift you up.  Make sure you have those people who will assist you in your goals.  You may also want to ask God for His guidance and direction.  What are you involved in that could bite you?  

Advice from failure?

Have you had an experience where the person giving you advice on how to succeed in a certain task has failed miserably?  What about when you have failed but chose not to remember all the circumstances surrounding it just so your self esteem is not damaged?  

When we fail at something, does not necessarily mean that we are not good at a particular task. Excuses will get in our way when we want them to. We choose how to respond to failure! As a child, did you not try to walk after your first falling over on your head?  What about when you wanted to ride a bike without training wheels? How about an "F" in school, they make you repeat the class!  Your first kiss, we all know you didn't quit after an epic failure like that!  As we age our mistakes involve more than just you.....sometimes it is a whole family, a business, a community, a country.  Remember that when we fail, it is to gain knowledge and hopefully, understanding to pass along.  Sometimes it is to learn a better way of handling situations. If when you fail, you chose not to enter into this mess again, then your failure has won.  When you choose to re-enter the nastyness of life, you have won because you can make a difference in the situation based on your new found understanding.  

Sometimes some of the best advice given can come from a prior failure?  This failure, if you learn it without the experience, would be called WISDOM.  When you learn it with the experience is called knowlegde.  You choose how you like to learn, from someone else's mistakes or from your own?  The great news is you get to choose!

Dreams of my childhood....

As we age there are little things that remind us of our childhood. It may be music, food, movies or videos, small phrases or stories being told over dinner.  Do you remember the dreams that would keep you awake as a child?  Can you recall the vivid nature and how clearly it was painted in your mind?  Sometimes these are the things that haunt us today.  It may continue to haunt you way into the future, unless you allow God to reveal it. It may be hard or difficult. It might even be easy!

I remember when my family of seven lived in a little 3 bedroom 2 bath home where I shared a room with my two older brothers.  This nightmare haunted my childhood. My dream was about roads all crumpled up then they would all be smoothed over. Almost like a piece of paper. Then when I would wake up, everything seemed to be very distant. Although I may have been in my mother's lap, I felt that I was on the other side of the couch. Even though I could touch my mother's face it as though she was across the room.

I would have this dream multiple times as a child and I can still see it vividly as if I just dreamt it.  Then in my devotions tonight God takes me across this verse, "Go out through the gates! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. (Isaiah 62:10 NLT)". This verse reminded me of my dream.

What dreams have you discarded as nightmares only to be reminded of your promise?  Remember your dreams from you childhood!

Their choice......

There are times when you want to fix something that you see is wrong.  These times we jump right in to places we have not been invited.  We might be parents, coaches, teachers, employers, pastors, mentors, family or worse yet just friends.  We become aware of a situation that needs our attention but we cannot make the proper decisions without being involved. So, we involve ourselves without the said permission of the problomee. 

When should we get involved?  Well as parents until a certain age we might think that we make those choices for them.  As a coach we guide, give direction and hopefully it was received.  This is similar to most other relationships. It should only be given when it is asked for.   We like to jump right in and start cleaning up a mess that we have no business trying to even touch, let alone clean up.  What is that silly definition again?  Oh yeah, knowledge from my mistakes, wisdom from others mistakes.  Sometimes people have to be stupid on their own to learn these life lessons.  You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.  By the way, why is the horse a male gender? Is there something trying to be inferred? Another story for another time.

Like the horse, we can only show the route to freedom, they must choose if they want to be free.  Reflect on your own life first.  Remember, how can you lead this horse to water if you're blind yourself.  Fix your own problems so you might be able to give an experienced answer for others.  Remember it is always their choice.  All the answers in the world will not fix a problem that they need to take action on. Give freely as requested and be available when they fall so you can help pick them back up.

Trust.......

It is interesting to think about all the things we trust in.  We know our car brakes will work because they have every other time we used them.  We believe the light will come on when we turn on the switch that allows electricity to the bulbs.  We know there is day light and moon light.  When we swim in a pool we know we get wet, cool off and will dry off with a towel.  We know that pushing a button on our remote will tell the television to change channels.

Now think more deeply than that.  Without first hand knowledge of these things how do we know all of them will happen?  How do we know that we will not be harmed?  How do we know that if we experience something new what the outcome will be?  Many times we will have to depend on what others tell us.  We will have to have faith.  Even the "faithless" have faith.  Those of you who believe in "nothing" do believe in something.  Call it humanism or scientology.  Yes, you do have faith in something.  Is it too much to stretch your mind to understand that everything came from a spoken word?  Think of how much faith it takes to believe as an inventor that your idea is going to work. 

This is the premise of true trust.  The word trust came from a human describing how God interacts on our behalf.  True trust can expand your knowledge.  True trust can link you with a very strong faith.  Where do you let your faith land?  Is your faith landing where there is no foundation, or have you planted it firmly where it belongs?

Where is your anchor?

We think of anchors and all of a sudden we see ships! Carnival, Disney, and many others.  What is an anchor? 

1. any of various devices dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for preventing or restricting the motion of a vessel or other floating object, typically having broad, hooklike arms that bury themselves in the bottom to provide a firm hold.

Interesting how the first definition is based on preventing something from doing something else.  It is defining what a anchor does!  It looks at the main purpose!  Why it was created.  Why were you created?  Where is your anchor?

5. a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay: Hope was his only anchor.

It took 4 definitions before it refered to people!  Have you considered your anchors in life?  Where is your perspective?  Are you consistent? Are you easily swayed?  Have you checked the source of your anchor?  Where did you get the information that you decided would be a good anchor for your life? 

We place anchors to stand against the tide!  What tides are you facing?  Have you placed your anchor in the truth that can only hold your anchor fast to where you have chosen?  We are only as strong as our weakest link.  Time to consider what you're standing for is based on the ROCK of truth or simply sea bed mud that can give way to any current willing to shake it?  Where is your anchor?